Do you miss toy hunting?

Being a collector since I was just a kid, I kind of miss the excitement of finding new figures at the local stores. I remember the days of finding the Movie Maniacs Alien and Predator box set at Gamestop or the newest series of Toy Biz Marvel Legends at Toys R Us. I nearly crapped myself when the whole Jurassic Park toy line came out and I saw them in the department store with my mom.

Now everything is available online and many of the stores like Gamestop and Suncoast either don't carry figures anymore or have gone out of business.

So my question for you is this. Do you miss looking for figures in retail stores or are you perfectly happy with making your online purchases and sitting back?

For me it's a little bit of both. I really enjoyed the excitement of finding a new figure in the store, but dealing with toy scalpers got worse and worse as the years progressed. Ordering Hot Toys or statues is really easy and convenient, but I don't get to inspect the figure or statue for flaws before I buy it.

I also keep that toy hunting part of my alive by checking stores for a few lines like DCU Classics and some of the NECA video game stuff.

I don't miss it at all. When I think back to the 90s and going from store to store to store to find SW figures, I realize I was crazy.

It was exciting to find a figure you've been looking for that was considered rare at the time. Now you can't give them away. It was also weird to see the same guys hunting for the same figures you were. I would think they were a bit on the creepy side, and they probably thought the same of me.

I do. There was more disappointment than success, but it was soooo worth it when you found the figure you were looking for.

Waste of fuel, going around checking stores.

I loved it back when I was collecting the Star Wars figures - late night runs to Toys R Us before they closed - shopping at Wal-mart at 2 AM.... I used to love the hunt.

I don't really miss it. I hated hunting for something, running from store to store looking for a certain thing. It was aggravating. The only factor I miss about it is seeing what you were getting... holding it in your hand before buying.

I miss it. I like the satisfaction of knowing you can snag something by being on-line at the right time. Well, most of the time you know you can get it that way. But I totally miss making trips to stores to look for things.

I miss it some, but not too much. And like Gecko, going to the stores was how I met some online collectors who are now very good friends offline.

DarkArtist81 said:

I don't really miss it. I hated hunting for something, running from store to store looking for a certain thing. It was aggravating. The only factor I miss about it is seeing what you were getting... holding it in your hand before buying.

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QFT. Im the exact same way.

i never really went toy hunting. but it was nice to walk through a sam goody or a suncoast and see something unique and cool. all those stores closed up around here. even the Toys R Us closed up awhile ago.

I dont miss it.
I still drop in the local Toysrus every now and then to see what is happening in the low end side of things.
High end coming book stores are creepy though, don't like those places...

Nope. And i'm quite disgusted with myself for even being into it as much as i was.

(late 90's early 21st century, but then again a new SW movie had just came out so it's almost forgivable))

I still hunt too. And I hate it. I would much rather order on line but Wal-mart insists on having DCUC exclusives and not putting them on their website. And the last wal-mart wave was a nightmare so everyone is even more desperate with the newer stuff.

But there is nothing quite like the thrill of ending a hunt. But I'm not sure it ever totally makes up for all of the disapointment and empty trips.

No, I do not miss it at all! I remember back in the 90's stopping by Wal-Mart early in the morning EVERY day on the way to college or harassing the KB Toy employees next to Walden Books (where I worked) and I always hated it. Back then, it was the only way to get the popular characters outside of the local comic shop or toyfare/comic magazines.

I DO, however, LOVE taking my sons out shopping for toys. But now, I will happily spend the extra dollar or two to just buy it off ebay or from an online vendor if I can't find it locally.

I never hunted too much in the first place. What I do miss is being able to walk into a store and find toys. It seems like there was a lot more on the shelves around the turn of the century than there is now.

I have always enjoyed the hunt. I just finished a search for the last few gi joe roc figures i was interested in. I find it thrilling to finally find something i am looking for. And very reassuring to know if i don't i will be able to find it on line. My main game lately though is to hit the local entertainment shops and search the discounts.

I love it! Still do kinda because now I do it for my neices and nephews stuff. The last couple of years it hasn't been the same, but I still enjoy it when it happens.

I prefer to come across something different and unique that isn't really a big deal, then in a month or two it becomes one and you already have it.

The excitement of finding the toy you've been looking for definitely beats getting it in the mail. While it sometimes seems like something has been lost, there was also the disappointment of getting up early and waiting for TRU to open only to find nothing (which happened most of the time). Overall, I prefer having the easier online option. The thrill of the find doesn't last that long, and in the end appreciation of the actual product is what matters, whether you got it by making a few clicks or by running around for hours.

The Ween said:

I love it! Still do kinda because now I do it for my neices and nephews stuff. The last couple of years it hasn't been the same, but I still enjoy it when it happens.

I prefer to come across something different and unique that isn't really a big deal, then in a month or two it becomes one and you already have it.

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me Too I use to take my cuz's kids and hit Toysrus, Kaybes and Target (there wasn't any walmarts at the time over here). It was fun to hang with the kids and go hunt the right toys down.....But they all grown up now. But I still go hunting for stuff evey now and then just for fun....I even bump in to one of my cuz kids hunting for toys too LOL.

DarkArtist81 said:

I don't really miss it. I hated hunting for something, running from store to store looking for a certain thing. It was aggravating. The only factor I miss about it is seeing what you were getting... holding it in your hand before buying.

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Agree 100%!

Besides leaving the house scares me anyway. I prefer to stay in my cave and live life through the internet

Additionaly i like to touch my ween when I get a new toy, they frown on that kind of thing in stores.